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LEAVING THE NETS BEHIND AND LEAPING INTO DARKNESS

It is not that easy to lead a life filled with faith from a world’s point of view.

We know that Peter gave up his fishing net and all his tools, and followed Jesus. Peter has nothing in his hands. He is vulnerable. He believed that Jesus would make him a fisher of men. He left his net, and with out thinking, followed this Master. He saw the truth, and the call of the truth was greater than his profession. In one deciding moment, which will make all the difference for eternity, he left everything and followed Jesus. Now he is in the middle of the road. He can not go back.

His buddies in the fishing profession would have thought that Peter was weird, when he left a lucrative job for an unknown prophet. He would have put financial strains on his family in his pursuit for the kingdom of Jesus. Peter would have thought that, Jesus the son of David would establish the kingdom of David. He might have envisioned Jesus sitting on the throne of David, after defeating the Romans.

Peter doesn’t see any of these things happening. In fact, Jesus is talking about giving his flesh and blood to people, so that they may eat and drink it. Peter doesn’t understand. It is too much for him to comprehend. Many of his disciple friends decide to leave Jesus. It is too much for them to take. He doesn’t know where he is going. He is stuck in the middle of this road, and the above verse captures this moment. Peter is gambling with his life. It is like doing acrobatics with out a net.

Peter represents the “white martyrs” of today. They are considered weird by the religious people. People think that they are out of their mind. They are ridiculed by their friends and families. Respectable Christians keep away from them. Secret disciples come to see them in the cover of darkness. They bear the hidden stigma of Christ. These stigmatics do not bleed outside, but are bleeding inside. They have no body to show the way.

They are unique and therefore have to craft their own roads to reach their destiny. They cannot go back as they have already gone too far in this road with Jesus. They search for the truth, but they are denied entrance in the city of light where “good Christians’ live. They, therefore retract into that city called “the dark night of the soul”. They are strangers in every city and they are optional extras in family gatherings. The prize is often paid by their spouses and children for no fault of theirs. They are dependent on Christ for everything as if they have no will of their own.

Many get blessed because of them, but they are wanderers in this world. The battles they face are enormous, and they face it only because they thought Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. They are not diplomats. They say what they mean, and mean what they say. Truth is so transparent in their presence, that people avoid them.

They cry in the middle of the night and ask Jesus-“have you left us?” Finally they come to the revelation which Peter had two thousand years ago – “to whom can we go; you have the words of eternal life”. They live in this world, in the hope securing a room in the father’s mansion in heaven.